Review Visit: May 13th, 2015…read more This ice cream is '¡muy caliente!" I knew Mexican soda was a thing but Mexican ice cream? Not in the capacity to have it's own ice cream shack. Well, queue my surprise when I learned that there was a Mexican ice cream shop in Peoria. One that has a name that leads you to think that maybe... just maybe this place is delicious. Doing what I normally do (as avid readers of this blog will know), I gathered up one of my friends who likes to travel (Matt) and we headed over the Illinois River (not the Peoria River) to get some ice cream (and add more bracketed comments to this paragraph for no reason). The location of Las Delicias is a bit of an odd one. Actually, those whole road of shops is not a greatly planned out area. You have all these shops along Main St but the parking situation leaves a lot to be desired. You usually have to hunt for a place to park and sometimes walk a small distance to your destination. I just wanted to put this in here as a warning should you want to venture down Main St. Matt and I found a place to park and headed in. Upon entering, we were greeted by a friendly cashier and shop that was small and felt homely (in a good way). This place truly felt like it was a family-owned. Matt and I browsed the handful of offerings and I was surprised by the flavors. Granted, this was over 5 years ago, so I don't remember the specifics and I failed to take a photo of what was being offered at the time. I grabbed some kind of strawberry ice cream while Matt got himself some flavor that I never heard of before. We paid for our ice cream desserts and headed out. I think there were a few chairs inside to sit but due to the small-sized of the restaurant, we opted to eat outside as we walked back to my car. I am a sucker for strawberry (and peanut butter) flavored treats. At this point in my life, I had quite a few different strawberry-flavored items but this one is the only one that instantly blew me away. Something about the quality of this dessert was unreal. It was far and above beyond anything you would find in the store unless you option for the expensive stuff. This stuff tasted homemade and had love in every scoop. I can't properly describe how much I loved this ice cream cone and how sad I was when it was gone. If you find yourself in Peoria and are on a circuit of trying out all the ice cream places, this one needs to be at the top of your list. You won't regret it. If you do go and you do regret it, lo siento. That's what life is all about though, right? Trying new things and seeing what the world has to offer.

Great variety it options, traditional and non-traditional flavors and very consistent in quality! I…read morelove going here for the yogurt cups and horchata as well!

Just took the kids here today for the first time in years, and it was just the same as always -…read moretotally awesome! The soft serve is delicious, and they serve the cones with little edible eyes, which the kids go nuts for. Of course, we all ended up wearing more cone than we ate, because it was a little toasty outside, but it was fun to sit there and commune with our fellow humans over entirely too much sugar.

The best ice cream in Pekin, if you can get past the attitudes. After going to the Funeral home, to…read moremake arrangements to bury her father, we thought we would go here to get away from the craziness in our lives the past few days. When we arrived, the attitudes were short wicked and it looks like everyone hated their job. My wife was made out to be a dumb*** in front of everyone because she accidentally grabbed someone's Strawberry Shake instead of her Strawberry Shortcake. I won't be back, that was very embarrassing for my wife and put her in tears, she just can't get away from all this cruel crap. She just lost her father and just can't get a break

Review Visit: September 7th, 2013…read more Open. Closed. Open. Closed. Open. Ernie's is a business that is open, closed, sold, re-opened more times than is normal. So, you are never sure if the place is open for the season or closed until a new owner opens it back up. Knowing this, I knew I had one chance to get there before something happened and they closed again. Don't quote me on this but I believe they closed again shortly after my visit there. But luckily, they are open for now and possibly moving to a new location that will better serve it's needs. So, I gathered up some of my family and we headed to the legendary and often reflected upon place to get ice cream and food. We got there and thankfully they were open for business. Everyone got in front of the window to see what they were offering at that particular time. Since there were so many of us and it was a good while ago, I don't remember what everyone ordered. I do remember ordering a tenderloin that was hilariously large for the bun it was served on. I was nearly full by the time I got to the bun and toppings. Each bite was full of flavor and slightly juicy. Perfection. But, that's what I love about a good tenderloin. Don't serve me one unless the bun is dwarfed by the patty. Everyone enjoyed their meal from what I remember. I think almost everyone got an ice cream shake or soda to wash their meal down with. Man, now I am hungry for a tenderloin. That's one of the downfall of typing up these blogs for old places. It gives me a hankering for food from yesteryears. I want to say that Ernie's was a 'cash only' place back in 2013. I could be wrong on that but if you do get to try out Ernie's when they are open for business, make sure you have a few bucks on you if you go. Again, make sure Ernie's is open and also hasn't moved locations before using the address below. As a side note about Ernie's. It seems like this business has been a staple in the Peoria area since my parents were my age. Almost everyone from the area that I've talked to about Ernie's has been here and has stories about going there.

What an adorable bakery/sandwich shop located in Germantown Hills. The sister shop Charlotte's…read moreCreamery in Spring Bay opened up this shop to stay open all year round (as opposed to the Summer seasonal hours). I went here for breakfast, and got a delicious egg/bacon/cheese sandwich to go along with my hot cocoa with homemade marshmallows. They had beautiful cupcakes in there little display cabinet, and pictures of other work. I would be anxious to try some of the lunch items, as they put so much effort in a little mcmuffin sammmie ($4). I like the idea of calling your order in a head of time because the love that they put into making your food does not come quickly. I hope that they will still be open the next time I visit.

Growing pains... I…read morehaven't had my finger on the pulse of what's new in my area since I've been busy with work lately so it was a complete surprise when Maria told me that Dar Al-Coffee had a new location open up out at the Grand Prairie Mall area. We made plans to drop in on a Friday when we were both not busy but dang... was this place hopping and popping when we walked in. The first thing we both noticed were the sheer amount of kids that parents brought here. I'm always amazed to see parents bring their kids to a coffeehouse because giving kids caffeine seems like a terrible idea. Granted, they could always be getting a non-caffeinated drink but since I am not a parent, not my place to judge and not the place to really talk about it. Maria and I both ordered an americano and I got a cake pop to go with it. With how busy it was, it took awhile for our drinks to come out, which is understandable. What kinda threw me for a loop is that I had to ask multiple times for the cake pop and they seemed confused when I kept asking about it. After about 20 minutes, we finally got the cake pop and the barista was apologetic for the wait and gave me a piece of dubai chocolate with pistachio in it as an apology. One thing I noticed during our few hours of sitting there and chatting is that there seemed to be a lot of missed or skipped orders. The barista running the register was constantly asking people if they were missing anything when they came up to get their orders or even lids/straws/napkins. There also did seem to be a lot of confusion between the baristas and the cook on what orders were who's and what was being brought out. I chalk this up to them being new and needing to find their footing, hopefully. One other criticism is that the register is at the back of the counter area and with where Maria and I were sitting, it got really tight for the people coming in to place an order who had to backtrack between the counter and our table to get to the waiting area. I would hope they flip that or maybe move things around a bit once they see how it bottlenecks the line. Any who, the americano was really good. I enjoyed every sip with just the slightest wish that it was a bit more bitter, but with how tired I was, any caffeine was welcomed. I let Maria have the cake pop since I realized I was pretty stuffed from the big breakfast I had and it didn't sound good after the ordeal of trying to get it. I really like the concept of Dar Al-Coffee and really enjoyed my experience at their first location. Like I said, hopefully they are working out the kinks of it being a new place as I can see Dar Al-Coffee becoming a staple coffee chain in Peoria. Hopefully I can go back after they've had some time with being open and have gotten the kinks worked out. Until then, stay caffeinated, my friends.

Wow.... Is all I could say... can't wait to get one of these in Bloomington!!! Very cool…read moreatmosphere, delicious desserts!!! can't wait to go back.

I have been in several times since they reopened and the staff is always so incredibly friendly…read more The fries are shoe string and nicely seasoned. Lady bug scooped ice cream is my favorite. My toddler loves playing in the toy section by the ice cream counter. Definitely a family friendly environment!

This is our go-to spot for ice cream. The summertime soft serve is tremendous: lemon, strawberry,…read morechocolate, and vanilla. The staff is always friendly and we enjoy eating inside and on the picnic benches outside after summer ball games. Stop by for soft serve or hand dipped. The crunch topping is a favorite, too!

Thank you Matari for such a great 1st time experience at your Peoria location. I'm so glad I…read morestopped in and had the opportunity to try out the drinks and pastries while I was in town. I highly recommend checking it out - Yemeni coffee, etc. They have a HUGE selection of pastries and diverse/unique coffee and tea drinks. They've done a really solid job on utilizing the space they have. It's spacious, clean, organized, and decor is really cool. Employees were very nice and patient as we made decisions about our order. My sister and I had the Iced Matari Tea. It was soooo amazing. It had green tea, pink Himalayan salt, spices, milk, whipped cream, and pistachios....and my sister got the Lotus Milk Cake and I went with the Nutella Tiramisu Cake Chocolate Cup (the cup was edible - all chocolate!). They have cards and uno and some other games available for use while you're there. I love the vibe and am so happy to support a new business in Peoria. I can't wait to go back!

The most upscale coffeehouse you'll ever visit…read more My dad needed a ride to an eye appointment and I asked if he minded we dropped by this coffeehouse on the way back. He said he was totally down for that. So, we stopped in around 9am to one of the fanciest coffeehouses around. This is one of the first coffeehouses my dad has ever been to and he was also blown away by how fancy and how nice everything was here. He declined to get a coffee but I got my usual iced americano. The barista taking my order was beyond friendly and super communicative on everything. I appreciated that since the pick up counter is at the far left side of the counter and you order on the far right. While we were waiting for my coffee, we took a long look at the delicious-looking baked goods in the display case. We didn't get any since I am focusing on what I eat lately and my dad was a bit too shy to order anything. We took a seat and chilled for about 10 minutes since I still had to report to work that afternoon. When I was given my americano, it was on the lighter side of brown, so I knew it was going to be a smoother one and I prefer the darker, more bitter ones. But, it wasn't too bad. It started off smooth and then turned into something I wasn't a huge fan of as I got towards the bottom. Even so, the overall experience was great since my dad and I got to hang out and neither of our schedules really allow for that all too much. I would most definitely check out Matari, not just for a nice ethnic take on coffee but for a real fancy take on a coffeehouse. I did spy a basket of card games at the register, so they have some fun activities you can partake in while feeling like royalty.

The sugar cookie latte was perfect. Husband loved the strawberry macchiato too! Will most…read moredefinitely be back.

Review Visit: September 20th, 2019…read more Leaves 'n Beans, round three! At long last, I have finally visited the third and final Leaves 'n Beans. Does it contain the same feel as the Peoria Heights location? How about the same menu and good tasting coffee? Yes and no. (Should you be interested in the 3rd and closed location, you can read about it here.) Upon arriving, I noticed the feel and look of the place was of one that wasn't like the Peoria Heights location. This had more of a restaurant/basic feeling to it. There were some sparse autumn decorations on the tables and furniture. My friend sat on a couch and I sunk deep in to this cozy red chair. The area where they had products for sale had a nice look to it and everything looked well organized. I was looking at a coffee cup with their logo on it and was surprised at the price tag. $7.99 for a local coffeehouse cup is really cheap compared to other places I've been. With it nearing fall, I decided to look over their seasonal menu. Being a sucker for lattes, I decided to get the Maple Vanilla one. I took a seat in the aforementioned red chair and instantly felt relaxed. Before I could settle in too deep, the barista was setting my drink down in front of me. As my friend and I conversed, I took small sips to savor the latte as I knew we would be there for awhile. The blend of vanilla and maple was decent, if a bit lacking on the maple side until the very end, when it was all maple. I am not sure what my friend ordered as she was already there and had her drink by the time I walked in the door... plus I forgot to ask. During the 2 hours we were there, the barista/cashier never once stopped to ask if we needed anything. I thought that was a bit odd, as almost every other coffeehouse (and most places that serve food/drinks) will check in and make sure you are doing okay or if you need anything. Luckily, we didn't need anything but it still struck me as odd. Should you need to grab a coffee while on the go, they have a convenient drive thru. We witnessed quite a few people utilize that service. If you decide to go in, there is a public parking lot to the right of the building. If I had to recommend which of the two remaining places to visit, I would highly suggest the one in Peoria Heights. It just has this unique feel and atmosphere that this location is lacking, but you have to remember that one is in a house and this one is in a business location. If you don't need or care about any of that, you can't go wrong with either place for that burst of caffeine. Some day, I will try the food and update the blogs accordingly. Stay caffeinated!